


Lullabies

by DragonflyxParodies



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Injury, Nightmares, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY), Short, Trauma, everybody has PTSD, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:23:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29792547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonflyxParodies/pseuds/DragonflyxParodies
Summary: They grieve.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Lie Ren & Ruby Rose & Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc & Pyrrha Nikos & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie
Kudos: 14





	Lullabies

**Author's Note:**

> found another wip! from literal years ago. hope y'all enjoy!

Ren wakes screaming. Clawing at the ground and choking because there is blood on his hands, on his face, on his chest—

Little fingers are curling around his wrist, spasms shaking his entire frame and—

“ _Get away from me!”_

Pink eyes are—

He hits something solid, something cold and hard, and a sob breaks free of him because she’s—

“Calm down, Ren.”

That’s not…

Reality hits him like Magnhild. And he begins to hyperventilate.

And then hands are cradling his face and he collapses into Ruby as she draws him away from Jaune because _it is too much_.

Nora’s hand presses against his back, rubbing rough circles through his clothing, and Ruby cradles him in her arms while he learns to breathe again.

For a moment, as he pulls away them, he can smell Phyrra’s perfume.

And Jaune’s eyes are red and swollen, Nora’s hands cracking and bleeding, Ruby’s lips broken and raw.

“She used to sing.” He says, the words escaping him in a shaky whisper. Hardly more than a breath.

Nora whines, turns into Ruby as he had been seconds ago. Jaune’s gaze drops, lowers to the floor as his eyes squeeze shut.

He’d been excited, to be part of their team. He hadn’t known who anyone was, besides Nora, and until he’d woken roaring for those long dead….

Jaune slept through _everything_ , and _anything_ , except his scroll. Nora was used to it.

“It hasn’t been this bad in a while.” Nora whispers, words muffled by Ruby’s shoulder.

“What did you remember?” Ruby asks, and her voice is solemn, but firm. Loud, in the stillness of the night, and tears sting at his eyes again because it is so comforting, her steadiness.

“My family.”

“…You know she’s with them now. Singing for them.”

Blood is dripping from Jaune’s hand. He is biting it, shoulders shaking as his eyes are squeezed shut.

“There’s not much left of them to sing to.”

And a low, keening howl fills the air around them. Ruby reaches for her weapon with one hand, the other arm still wrapped around Nora.

And that is good. That is…that is good. He reaches for his weapons and stands, and even if his legs are shaking, the beowolves are a good thing.

They distract him. All of them.

-x-

Nora catches herself after Phyrra’s name has already left her lips. Too late.

Ruby just offers her a warm, sad smile. Ren acts as if he hasn’t heard her, too busy with his weapons to bother.

But Jaune acts as if she’s smashed him with Magnhild, staggering and then hurrying off into the surrounding woodland.

She flinches at that. At how easily he abandons them for his grief.

“…He doesn’t mean to hurt you. Either of you.” Ruby says quietly, pressing a hand between Nora’s shoulder blades. The pressure is reassuring. Lets her take a deep, steadying breath.

“He’s not the only one who misses her.”

And Nora knows that Ruby is the only one that can hold them together throughout everything, because Ruby’s team is in even worse shape, she thinks. She thinks Ruby understands, that Blake left to protect them—and Nora remembers how terrified, haunted her eyes had been as the Faunus held Yang’s hand between her fingers and sobbed, begged anything and everything to let her live. But Ruby has told her about Yang—bitter, lost in the shock and pain of what happened and too focused on the absence of her partner to recognize her reasons—and…at least they know Phyrra died for them. To protect them.

To protect them all.

Ren’s hands still at his weapon.

“You know he blames himself.” He says quietly, and Nora flinches again because Ren speaks with such marrow-deep _certainty_ and she can’t –

“He’s not the only one.” Ruby says. Humorless. There’s an empty smile at her lips.

Ren swallows, and Nora looks away.

Jaune doesn’t come back ‘till morning.


End file.
